U.S. Economy and Student Debts Review Essay

U.S. Economy and Student Debts Review Essay U.S. Economy and Student Debts Review Essay Example U.S. Economy and Student Debts Review Essay Example American economy is undeniably the most successful in the world. However, it continues to face diverse problems that need to be urgently addressed before escalating into an uncontrollable crisis that would be difficult to handle. The Obama administration has been trying to solve the matters such as the growing inequalities between wealthy individuals and those who do not have access to the financial and wealth resources. Migrants, such as Latinos, had an opportunity to be integrated into the employment systems in order to solve the widening inequalities. The continuously expanding gap between the rich and the poor will affect the economy in different ways, including changes in the derivatives market and in proprietary trading, the fall in financial regulatory mechanisms, and the decrease of democracy in the country. Moreover, increasing long-term employment for fulltime positions could lead to the increase of family incomes by 2016, improvement of the economy wage bill, and increase of the demand for goods and services. The rising student debt would raise the cost of living for most families, the borrowing of the government, reduced other sectors’ development, and budgetary problems in the state and the entire country. This paper explicates the long-term implications on the U.S. economy of the increasing income and wealth gap, raised employment for fulltime jobs, and growing student debts. The Long-Term Implications for the U.S. Economy of Increasing Income and Wealth Inequality (Gap) The American working culture provides that individuals work for a living as well as feel that it is their moral obligation. Therefore, many Americans regardless of their financial status are employed or working for themselves. According to Steinberg, Porro and Goldberg (2012), the 2007 financial crisis caused a reverse in employment leading to increased poverty and wealth inequalities in the country. Notably, the 2007 economic crisis caused many problems that must be resolved. For example, such events as the housing bubble burst dwindled the financial sector. Therefore, the banks could not afford to lend. The construction workers and their contracting companies lost their jobs. Consequently, tax revenue decreased, which provided the government with less profit to foster development. Shapiro, Meschede and Osoro (2013) assert that most citizens in the U.S. have become affluent over the years since President Lyndon Johnson declared the fight against poverty in 1964. However, the poverty rate in the country amount to 25%, and the declining efforts to fight poverty have continued expanding the gap between the wealthy and the poor in the entire country. As the wealth and income gaps continue to widen, the poor and the middle income workers are forced to work more to pay the elite. Such self-interest contributes to an unprecedented growth in the wealth division since homeowners begin to default on their loans, and shareholders’ securities become worthless. While the elite prosper, a large part of the poorest families will continue suffering in the future. Some of the notable long-term implications of the increasing wealth and income inequality gaps are discussed below. Future changes in the derivatives market From the financial perspective, derivatives comprise the largest part of the unregulated financial sector. The International Monetary Fund (2011) affirms that derivatives offer traders and sellers the opportunity to engage in their transactions at a further date, hence avoiding any complications in their operations. Elliot and Lewis (2013) inform that derivatives have been in use since the 17th century, and most traders have continued relying on them for successful activities in the market. An expanding unregulated sector raises various concerns because it is solely responsible for the growth of institutions and the assurance of a balance between the financially challenged citizens and the wealthy class. Riccards (2012) considers that the elite set of financially able individuals have developed businesses that are mainly focused on the generation of profit,s hence affecting the growth of the entire country. Consequently, the future of the American wealth gap situation is faced by unr eliable housing bubble as well as financial derivatives. It will be difficult to trade in derivatives in the future because only a few individuals will have the capacity to work in such conditions, hence derailing the market. Their success depends on the ability of many people to participate in the market freely. It will not be easy for the poor to get the opportunity to contribute to the growth of such markets because they do not have the resources to engage in them. Apart from their poverty, they will not have the opportunity to visit school and learn about the significance of derivatives in the process of economic growth. Future changes in proprietary trading Sexton (2013) affirms that the income and wealth gaps continue to widen proprietary trading, which is unregulated. Proprietary trading provides banks with the opportunity to trade commercial money in the capacity of investment budget. Therefore, the banks have ability to speculate against derivatives made of sub-prime mortgages that they had lent due to their customers’ commercial money. Shapiro, Meschede and Osoro (2013) agree that in 1929, proprietary trading played a tremendous role in causing the Great Depression, and in 1933, the Congress passed the Glass-Steagall Act to prevent the future use of proprietary trading and help prevent financial crisis. However, the increase of wealth gap gives power to wealthy people who require such actions to safeguard their interest. The passing of proprietary trading legislation will further contribute to the growth of the housing bubble and its subsequent collapse, but will leave the financial sector if the earnings partially decrease due to the effects of the proprietary trading practice. Future fall in democracy Due to the growing division of wealth and incomes witnessed during the financial crisis, it could be noted that the federal government’s ability to work democratically is deteriorating where financial elites are rising to power. Due to its inability to withstand powerful interests from the financial sector, the federal government is losing its ability to govern democratically. According to Schneirov and Fernandez (2013), the citizens consider the government legitimate if it is able to maintain control and stability of its society. In tandem with the growing housing bubble and the Great Recession, the government demonstrated its inability to manage the financial sector and subsequently the entire American economy. The nation’s second worst financial crisis was triggered by deregulating financial sector, which was encouraged by its interests in politics. Doogan (2013) states that the result of the government’s inability to protect the economic well-being of American citizens indicates its fading ability to secure the future of the entire country. According to the definition of democracy as a government that is able to listen to its people objectively and protect their interests adequately, the federal government is unable to represent and protect the best interest of taxpayers from the financial sector interests. This reason should challenge the U.S. government to continue working on decreasing the wealth and income disparities among its citizens. Riccards (2012) insists that the wealthy class will replace the government and will be in a sole position to make economic decisions that favor their trading activities. In this case, fiscal policies that are usually undertaken by the go vernment will be skewed and focused on protecting the interests of the wealthiest and financially powerful individuals, hence impairing democracy of the economy. Fall of the financial regulatory enforcement The financial regulatory enforcement is struggling to follow the increase in wealth and income inequality gap. Therefore, many organizations that it relies on appear to be losing track because they cannot correspond to the financial sector’s growing pace. The financial market has been growing at exorbitant rates. The amount of outstanding credit that sustains the growing financial sector has increased during the past twenty years, and the highest growth occurred in the past decade. Doogan (2013) indicates that much of this increase can be attributed to the expanding derivatives market, which is, as stated earlier, increased by 100% from 1998 to 2008. It is worth noting that the financial sector regulation has continued to lag behind the growing institutions, and the divergence has grown since the escalation of anti-regulatory ideology in politics in the 1980s. Nevertheless, the efforts have been made towards strengthening the regulatory system since the 1980s through adequate financing and support by the government. According to Krueger, Cramer, and Cho (2013), this causes concerns regarding the regulators’ ability to oversee effectively the financial sector and provides insight how the regulators allowed the occurrence of the financial crisis. In the nearest future, the organizations will lack a place to lean the credits in order to boost their business leading to losses or eventually closure. The influence of the wealthy class will overpower the financially challenged citizens, hence making it tough for the financial regulatory mechanism to restore its required efficiency in operations. The Long-Term Effects for the U.S. Economy of Increasing Long-Term Employment for Fulltime Positions Baker and Bernstein (2012) affirm that one of the key long-term effects of increasing employment for full time positions is that the families whose income is below the poverty line will increase triple by 2016. Most families that are currently living in poverty will have an increase of their incomes in the future since parents get the opportunity to work as fulltime employees with a stable salary every month. This implies that the level of poverty could be alleviated, since most families will have access to the decent housing, shelter, and food. The increase in fulltime employment will also mean that these families engage in other business activities due to their financial power and income availability. Kritikos (2014) states that the family businesses will start to emerge in order to increase their income base and meet other rising family needs. The prosperity of families due to the increase in incomes will cause the U.S. economy grow at a desirable level and remain in the dominant position. Continuous dependency of the government and its different projects will gradually reduce, hence leading to stability of the country’s economy. In tandem with the conventional economic analysis, an increase in the minimum wage would have two significant effects on the employment. First, the employers would have to deal with the high costs of producing goods and services. Krueger, Cramer and Cho (2013) confirm that these costs would be passed to consumers, hence affecting their consumption level of different products and services in the economy. For example, they will be required to pay more to cater for the increasing minimum wages paid to fulltime employees in various organizations. Most employers will deal with this effect by producing fewer goods and services using lesser human resources. Baker and Bernstein (2012) agree that this issue is commonly referred to as a scale effect, and it could deny other people the opportunity of getting these jobs in the future. The second way is that the increase in the minimum wage follow the increased costs for additional fulltime employees compared to using other production strategies such as machines and more productive higher-wage workers. It is crucial to note that some employees will continue focusing on the profit motive trying to save on their low-wage workers to accommodate high-wage workers. Riccards (2012) agrees that this is a substitution effect, which plays an instrumental role in boosting the level of the employment among high-wage employees compared to low-wage ones. However, it is imperative to understand that the conventional economic analysis would not be directly efficient in all situations. For example, when the firms plan to acquire new human resources on a fulltime basis and intend to maintain the current staff, they will have to incur more maintenance costs for them. This implies that increasing the number of fulltime jobs will escalate the overall costs of retaining existing employees and motivate them to realize the economic goals of the company. There are cases when searching requires much time and high costs among the workers. Kritikos (2014) indicates that increasing the minimum wage means that the businesses have to pay the existing workers more in any given case. This is beneficial because it leads to the overall reduction of costs for hiring and retaining new employees within the organization. Most low-wage workers who experience a change in their wages due to minimum wage increases work in the public sector and the government tries to protect their interest all the time. After a little increase of the minimum wage, some employers try to maintain different system of payment for their employees as it was before. Baker and Bernstein (2012) confirm that collective bargaining is used in the determination of some salaries. These usually depend on the costs incurred by the state government in relation to the employee protection. Therefore, an increase in the minimum wage would cause some workers become jobless in cases where they are not producing according to the required levels. New fulltime employees will replace them to ensure that the efficiency of the firm is increased at all levels. Additionally, some firms, especially those that do not engage in the employment of many low-wage workers, but that compete with firms that do, would witness a rise in demand for the different goods and services since the costs of their competitors gradually increase. Such firms would hire more low-wage workers as a result. The variation in employment of low-wage workers changes with the course of time. First, when the minimum wage increases, some firms could prefer accommodating fewer low-wage workers on a fulltime basis while others continue to follow their system. Sexton (2013) asserts that the rise in the demand for their goods and services will also be attributed to the increasing incomes among different individuals. Moreover, the production level will increase, hence leading to the mass production of various goods and services within the economy. The increasing levels of demand will mean that businesses make profits from their activities not depending on a small consumer base. M ost families and individuals will have the power to purchase and consume all categories of products, including the luxurious ones in the economy. For example, increasing full time employment could drastically lead to the growth of the products purchase such as cars and other luxurious goods required by the individuals. Employers might approach minimum wage increases in other modified ways that do not necessarily involve increasing prices or substituting low-wage workers with other appropriate inputs such as machines. For example, they might decide to offset increase of the minimum wage through reducing other costs such as fringe benefits with respect to health insurance or pensions as well as job rewards such as free meals. Employers will be willing to reduce the overall costs of production and increase their profitability. Doogan (2013) considers it is obvious that increasing employment for fulltime jobs will require them to incur more costs for sustaining their staff members. Thus, most of them will establish new strategies such as reducing total employee benefits. This will force the U.S. economy to take different direction where most employees are only paid their basic salaries without any form of additionally benefits. However, the reduction of these benefits will take a moderate approach due to the understanding that most of these workers do not have much profit. In addition, Riccards (2012) clarifies that most employers will take a moderate approach because they fear to face unfavorable tax treatment, as provided in the tax policy of the country. They will also reduce the training costs for their employees to ensure they deal with the rising costs of human resources within their organizations. The Long Term Implications for the U.S. Economy of Rising Student Debts Elliot and Lewis (2013) affirm that a consumer finances survey conducted in 2010 indicated that 45% of all American families are burdened with outstanding student loan debts. This rate rose by 33% in 2007. Most of the student debt in America is held by people who are under the age of 35 years. Nevertheless, the economic and financial effects of these debts are felt beyond this age bracket. Currently, most of the people in the United States own a job and receive wages. FICO (2013) reveals that most of the individuals from the age of 18 to 60 receive some form of basic payment for their work and are forced to bear the burden of repaying part of the students’ debts, especially defaulters. The increasing students’ debts emanating from defaulters mean that everyone deducted some amount from their salaries to provide these costs. Therefore, it is difficult for some people to receive the required amount of wages since they have to participate in the repayment of the accumulati ng student loans. The rates at which student debts are being taken and repaid in the American society has a continuously largely fluctuated since 2007. While more students are taking largest student loans, those who have graduated are now paying at a slower rate. The International Monetary Fund (2011) shows that the enrollment level has increased in the past years due to the encouragement for education among the youth. Governmental programs to aid in promoting higher education, such as the GED program amongst others, have also greatly influenced people’s decisions to enhance their education towards higher levels. Consequently, the population of people at schools in the United States is growing, thus increasing the level of student debts owed to the state. Moreover, the states have to compensate on the amount owed to them by the students through borrowings from other sectors. The rising expenses for living in the United States witnessed through high costs of housing, reducing incomes and increasing student debts, merge and lead to severe economic effects in the entire country. Nautet and Meensel (2010) emphasize that the high student debts in the United States is affecting the economy negatively and may increase the living costs of every citizen in the country. This will continue happening if effective measures are not adopted to regulate these debts. In the past, student loan debts did not threaten the economy of the state through balancing effects of income and potential. The accumulation of debts was not so high since the students who completed their studies in universities and colleges could procure jobs immediately and start repaying their loans. Such large percentage was accompanied by high and rising income levels. In fact, most of the students could afford to spare a percentage every month in order to pay their student debts. Therefore, there was a balancing effect in the economy since the borrowed amount was equaled by the amount repaid. The state had to bear the burden of giving loans without necessarily getting them reimbursed at the required time for its activities. The increasing burden will continue in a foreseable future and will lower economic activities in different states in the U.S. The amount that the state is investing in giving students loans is currently higher than the amount being repaid. O’Shea (2013) insists that there will be a deficit every year, hence necessitating the government to borrow funds from the other sectors of the government to meet their need. Borrowing finances from the other sectors of the budget will continue to have economic effect on the state. The government will have to save on its expenditure foreseen for some developmental projects to meet the increasing loans of students in the economy. Thus, other sectors and functions of the state’s budget will suffer due to increased student debts. With the current trend in rise of student debts and costs of living in the state, the projected future threatens the state where the government budget will be stalled. A large percentage of the state’s finances will be delayed due the student debts. The costs of living will increase resulting in lower repayment rates. Moreover, the unfavorable costs of living would raise the debt by forcing students to borrow in order to meet the high fee demands in their respective colleges and universities. Nautet and Meensel (2010) reveals that it is threatening that the population will not be in a position to pay their school fees without assistance of student loans. It will result in high rates of the student loans. The state’s responsibility for this process will force sourcing money from its reserve of the budget. When the budget becomes completely strained beyond the stage for more manipulation, the government will have to surplus its financial deficit through increased taxes fo r its citizens. Moreover, it will be necessary to increase the rate of taxes for its citizens in order to increase the revenue rates and provide the increased budget needs due to the higher rates of student borrowing and lowered repayment rates. Increased tax rates for the citizens could lead to the higher cost of living in the country. Consequently, the effect of high student loans and debts on the economy of the United States has a cyclical effect that influences all sectors of the economy and all levels of individuals. The high rate of student loans is also a threat to the future state of retirement security and insurance programs for the retired and the elderly population. The International Monetary Fund (2011) indicates that a study conducted by the Boston College Center for Retirement indicated that 62% of the American working population aged between 30 to 39 is projected to have insufficient resources to cater for their later retirement ages. Mishory and O’Sullivan (2013) opine that more than 20% of the population at this level has the current debts of more than $50,000. This amount is also at an increasing rate over the years. At the same time, the population ages expected for future retirement is also increased at a large rate. This means that the financial strength and planning required to cater for these individuals when they retire is currently impossible. The inadequacy of retirement savings and planning for the society together with the generally rising costs of living would cause more debts to the citizens, hence leading the country into a financial crisis. Mishory and O’Sullivan (2013) state that families with parents aged between 65 and 74 years with a housing debt carry an average median debt load of $70,000. In addition to the student loan debts, these debts amounts to huge sums that cannot be repaid from the retirement benefits, pensions, and insurance payoffs. Considering the current situation, most families will not be able to receive adequate retirement benefits, hence leading to the persistence of debts in the economy. The trend at which the state is heading in terms of loans is one that threatens the ability of the government to support effectively its citizens and ensure the modest standards of living to its citizens. It is vital that the state and trend of student loans as well as their effects on the economy are mitigated to save on the potential terminal future. According to Elliot and Lewis (2013), the state needs to invest hastily in programs and initiatives that will lower the cost of educational tuition. This is especially common in institutions of higher learning. The beginning of the challenge of high student loans and its effects on the economy of the state is the fact that student’s education in these institutions of education is high. The programs, such as offering incentives to the institutions and building more educational establishments, will reduce the costs at which they price their education. The cheaper university education in the country will be more affordable for students and their families. Nautet and Meensel (2010) observe that this step will be instrumental in reducing the number of people who require students’ loans to get higher education. Therefore, this will reduce its effect on the economy and large population of the country since there will be small amounts of unpaid student loans. The burden on the government to provide fees for the students’ tuition would be also alleviated, hence eliminating the need for the government to continuously engage in educational support programs for the students. It is imperative to continue ensuring that students meet their debt obligations to eliminate uncertainties about government finances. In conclusion, the U.S. government has the responsibility of ensuring that its citizens fulfill their lives in the economy. The government has the duty to ensure that the economy is performing for the benefit of everyone in the country. Increasing the wealth and income inequality gap will harm the economy in the future due to the reduced activities in the derivative markets that require participation of everyone in the entire country. Moreover, it will be difficult for the government to have the democracy of protecting its citizens through fiscal policies due the domination of the economy by the wealthy individuals who use their financial power to rule over others. Institutional regulatory systems in the financial sector will also be weakened due to the control of wealthy individuals. Additionally, increasing opportunities for fulltime employment will have both positive and negative long-term consequences. Concerning its positive side, there will be increased incomes for families, he nce improving their living standards and ability to purchase different products. In addition, there will be situations where firms will have to deal with high costs of labor in the economy and might regulate it by reducing the benefits and allowances that these employees get from the provision of their services. Increasing student loans would overburden other citizens through higher taxation to meet these costs. The effect exceeds the defaulters or those who require more time to settle their loans. Moreover, the government might be forced to stall some of its projects to meet the student loans in the best possible manner. With these events, the government should work in cooperation with economists to ensure that the future of the U.S economy is secured through sound economic policies that capture each of these ideas. Overlooking any of these issues could plunge the economy into a crisis that would need more time to be solved, hence missing other developmental opportunities for the U.S. economy.

MENTAL HEALTH CHILDREN Professor Ramos Blog

MENTAL HEALTH CHILDREN You come home from a long day at work and the only thing that you look forward to  is seeing that big smile and little arms thrown around you. However when you get home they seem reserved as if something is on there mind that may be bothering them. Yet you brush it aside thinking that maybe its just a â€Å"Phase† or just a kid being a kid but thats where we go wrong we assume everything is ok and never take action. What you may be experiencing are the early signs of your child dealing with mental illness. In this we are going to explain what mental illness is in children , symptoms, treatment and what parents can do in the case of their child being diagnosed with it.   Now the talk of mental illnesses is very new in which some people still believe that it made up and all in there head . Therefore they yet to fully grasp the understanding of   mental health is not only in adults but in children as well. The full definition of mental health coming from Mental Health . gov says â€Å"Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. †(Mental Health.gov ).   Just as we take care of our bodies physically by going to the doctors, dentist and optometrist we often overlook the most important one and thats your mental health. As in adults they are able to communicate what they are feeling and have self realization that something may not be all right. Furthermore, thats not the case with children they dont fully understand what is going on and may have a difficult time trying to explain how they may feel. You cant blame the parents or the children because we simply dont have a better understanding of mental health, especi ally in our youth. So how do we go about figuring out how to better help our children and even ourselves in identifying common traits and symptoms that could lead to catching it early on? Well not all mental illnesses are the same and range in a variety of different forms from ADHD, depression, Bipolar disorder and so on. However detecting the common symptoms early we can help to raise any red flags in which can take your child to a specialist. Coming from Mayo clinic it states â€Å"Mood changes, intense feelings,behavior changes, difficulty concentrating and physical symptoms†(mayo clinic). These are the most common symptoms found and should be taken seriously rather than brush it away since most of these dont have any   physical symptoms. Besides pointing out what has been already stated another way to point out anyareas of concern is to talk to them although they may not be able to fully put together what they are feeling it helps to create an open environment in the case your child did come to you with any concerns they wont feel embarrassed to express what they feel. This is typically in boys since the big stigma is, is that they are not supposed to share their feelings and this could lead to them having repressing feelings and will be harder for them to open up or understand that this is a serious issue. Do not lose hope because now in modern medicine we are able to start to put together treatments in order to help treat those who are diagnosed with mental illnesses.   Depending on how severe the issue is different forms of treatment include prescription medication, therapy, and even support groups. One of the most common would be the medication the doctor gives once they have diagnosed your child with the specified conditions. Unfortunately there is no one pill that can help to fix all problems but the medication is broken into groups of stimulants and depressants. For example, in one article it says â€Å" Prozac and sertraline are classified as depressants and Ritalin,adderall are classified as stimulants†(mednet). The anti- depressants help children with depression and various forms of anxiety by helping to balance out there serotonin levels in the brain. As for the stimulants they typically help with children who have ADHD by treating it with ritalin you would assume that it would make it worse but it has the opposite effect on people with ADHD. Another form of treatment would be to take your child to therapy and also a psychologist to help them understand whats going on. A specialized personnel like this can offer different ways of going about having a condition and offers the child a confidential person to talk to. Although medication and therapy are great forms of treatment they are pretty pricey for those that are low on income. So an alternative form of therapy is the practice of meditation lindsay cates article getting kids help in time says â€Å"Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is a proven way to curb sad thoughts. Apps like Headspace and Happify walk teens through relaxation exercises and breathing techniques, or can target specific things like reducing worry and building relationships.† (getting kids help in time). Not only will this cut costs on expensive treatments but as a parent you and your child can both benefit from it and also offers a great opportunity to bond. As a recurring statement that shows thought this is the involvement of the parents and what you could do to help at least improve the situation for your child and yourself. Your involvement in your childs life whether it is at school or in the household has a very important role in your childs mental state. An example of this comes from a study that was in rhode island and the result showed â€Å"Among Rhode Island children, nearly 1 (19.0%) in 5 had mental health problems, 1 (15.6%) in 6 lived with a highly stressed parent, and one third (32.7%) had parents with low involvement†.(Childrens Mental Health and Family Functioning in Rhode Island.) Just by implementing a more positive environment in the household paired along with the involvement in the childs life can truly impact them in a positive way. The second form of parental involvement would be to get involved in your childs schooling. They spend a majority of the time in school with their teacher and fellow peers that   can also affect their mental health as well. Neil humphery says in his article â€Å"School is a primary developmental context after the family (Bronfenbrenner, 2005), in which socialisation of emotions, behaviour and relationships occurs; thus, they are clearly more than, ‘merely convenient sites for prevention and intervention’ (O’Toole, 2017, p.455)†(Are the Kids Alright?). This is where your child will learn and a place to develop who they are simply by building relationships with their teachers can help give you an insight of how they are behaving at school. In conclusion we looked at the common red flags symptoms to look out for , treatment and the steps you can take as a parent to help aid in your childs mental health. Just because they may appear to be okay at face surface we all face internal struggles and the way we take action as parents can help in the process for your child.  Ã‚   Works cited   Cates, Lindsay. â€Å"Getting Kids Help in Time.† Ebscohost, 11 Sept. 2018. Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne. â€Å"Mental Illness in Children: Signs, Types, Causes.† MedicineNet, medicinenet.com/mental_illness_in_children/article.htm. Humphery, Neil. â€Å"Are the Kids Alright? Examining the Intersection between Education and Mental Health.† Vol. 42, no. 1, 2018, pp. 4–16. Ebscohost. Hyun, et al, â€Å"Childrens Mental Health and Family Functioning in Rhode Island.† Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1 Feb. 2007,   pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/Supplement_1/S22.abstract. â€Å"What Is Mental Health?† What Is Mental Health? | MentalHealth.gov, mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health. â€Å"Worried about Changes in Your Childs Mood or Behavior?† Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 1 Mar. 2018, mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/mental-illness-in-children/art-20046577.   

Business Culture of Spain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Culture of Spain - Research Paper Example Policies can be defined as those objectives which have been declared by the government and seek to realize and reserve the national community interest. In a country like Spain therefore, there must be policies which guide the conduct of business practice. These policies may be appealing or unappealing before the business community. The commercial laws and regulations of Spain were modernized in 1986 immediately after its entry into the European Union. Its policy framework is fairly compared with other countries that are from within Europe. There has been the streamlining of bureaucratic procedures and elimination of the red tape. (Ibpus.com, 2012) There is the existence of quasi-independent bodies which regulate several sectors of the economy. In the real sense, they are not independent as they are still fighting and struggling to be. One of the processes which have been steady but slow is the switch from monopolies which are state-owned to full competition that is open. Spain is not formal as is the United States of America in the comment procedure for the projected rule-making changes. This is due to the fact that most laws and guidelines are published as drafts before they are effected. (Ibpus.com, 2012) For one to start a company in Spain, they will be supposed to work under certain simple procedures. To start, they are supposed to acquire a certificate of uniqueness of the proposed company name from the Office of Mercantile Register. The next step is to open a bank account for the company or business you intend to start and then deposit the principal you have in that bank. After that, you have to be given a certificate of deposit. All these are again followed by surrendering a public deed of incorporation before a public notary, it takes a day and charges approximately â‚ ¬500 depending on the share capital amount you have and the complex nature of the process. Submit the

Infertility In Women With Hormone Complications Essay

Infertility In Women With Hormone Complications - Essay Example Infertility is a major concern that affects about 10 percent of couples in their reproductive age. Approximately 1/3 percent of infertility cases that occur are attributed to fertility issues with a woman while the rest two-third are attributed to the man or both partners issues. Thus, infertility is a major issue affecting many women in the reproductive age. Infertility resulting from hormonal complications is a major concern affecting many women that need to be discussed.Hormones involvedA woman's ability to bear children normally occurs at her start of menstruation when she enters puberty. Various hormones are involved, as the whole process is complex. The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is first produced and stimulates the follicles to mature. Once they are mature, estrogen is produced stimulating the thickening of the uterine lining. At the 14th day of the cycle, luteinizing hormone (LH) is produced that stimulates ovulation and leads to the production of progesterone and est rogen through the corpus luteum that supports the pregnancy. Hormonal complications of each of the above hormones on a woman who is in the reproductive age may result in infertility.Polycystic ovarian syndromeAbbreviated, as PCOS it is a condition among women of the reproductive age where the ovaries do not make all the hormones that are needed for the egg to fully mature. The follicles may start growing and even build up with fluid, but ovulation does not occur as some follicles remain as cysts.

Police Administration Essay Example for Free

Police Administration Essay Since the early part of the twentieth century, academicians and criminal justice practitioners have debated whether police officers should be required to have a college education as a minimum qualification to be hired. Today, there is general agreement that a college education will not necessarily make a person a good police officer, but a good police officer can be made better by having one. Many police executives believe formal college education can improve critical thinking skills of officers and that is becoming a more important factor as the complexity of police work continues to increase. 1 According to a recent article in Police Chief Magazine â€Å"We expect (police officers) to understand and apply the law evenly. We expect them to grasp the nature of social problems and the psychology of people with different attitudes toward the law. We expect officers to professionally and effectively handle disputes involving people from varying cultural, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.† 2 The importance of possessing a college degree by police officers seems to have substantial support in the literature. If the need or desire is established for the possession of a college degree by police officers, then how do they get one? Traditionally, a college program involved students attending classes at a â€Å"brick and mortar† campus. This was difficult for many officers that already had substantial work and family commitments. With the advent of online (internet delivered) college programs, it is possible for officers to enter or return to college and pursue a degree where previously it may not have been practical for them to do so. With that being said, does an online program sufficiently address the desirable attributes for police officers that the possession of a college degree represents? Historical Perspective for College Educated Police In 1916, August Vollmer, the former Chief of Police of Berkeley, California, was the first to emphasize the need for police officers to have college  degrees. At about the same time, the University of California at Berkeley began to offer law enforcement related courses.3 In 1931, The National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement (the Wickersham Commission) gave â€Å"national recognition for higher educational standards and more professional police officers.†4 Although the issue of college education for police officers was not specifically addressed, it laid the foundation for subsequent calls to increase educational levels for police. Largely due to Vollmer’s influence, the University of California at Berkeley created a School of Police Administration in 1933, followed shortly thereafter by a similar school at Michigan State University.5 In 1936, Vollmer wrote in his book, The Police in Modern Society, that police officers should be required to have a colleg e education.6 In 1967, the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice made specific recommendations regarding increasing the level of police education. This report was followed by the passage of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, which established the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP). LEEP, in part, provided grants and loans to officers to enroll in college and earn their degrees. This infusion of money created a large incentive for institutions to develop academic programs geared toward law enforcement. As police officers began to return to or enter college, some institutions created accelerated or nontraditional programs in criminal justice. Officers could receive credit for experience in related courses and some courses were configured so officers did not have to meet as often as traditional courses. These types of programs were usually administered through the college’s extension program. Today, many public and private institutions offer nontraditional programs that are delivered in the online or e-learning format. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, in the 2000-2001 academic year, forty-eight percent of all four-year Title IV8 degree granting public institutions and thirty-three percent of four-year Title IV degree granting private institutions had degree programs for undergraduates that were to be completed totally through distance learning.9 Today there are an abundance of distance learning programs being marketed to police officers, especially online programs. The flexibility of the course schedule makes it attractive to busy students. Police officers can do their course work when it is convenient for them and some courses are designed to  be completed at the student’s own pace. Many departments have made strides in requiring some college education as a prerequisite for hiring but most have not. The high school diploma still exists as the most common minimum educational requirement. Even where departments have not required a college degree for hiring, many require or make it desirable to possess a degree for promotion. As early as 1989, the benefits to having educated officers were noted to include:10 †¢ Greater knowledge of procedures, functions, and principles †¢ Better appreciation of their professional role and it’s importance in the criminal justice system as well as in society †¢ More desirable psychological make-up, which includes such qualities as alertness, empathy, flexibility, initiative, and intelligence †¢ Greater range of interpersonal skills centered in their ability to communicate, to be responsive to others, and to exercise benevolent leadership †¢ Greater ability to analyze situations, to exercise discretion independently, and to make judicious decisions †¢ Strong moral character, which reflects a sense of conscience and the qualities of honesty, reliability, and tolerance †¢ More desirable system of personal values consistent with the police function in a democratic society Even back in 1978, though, researchers expressed reservations about the quality of criminal justice programs. The rapid increase in program offerings seemed to make some institutions gear their courses more vocationally than academically. Some recommendations were made to overcome what was perceived as major quality problems in college programs developed for police officers. In addition to perceived quality problems in criminal justice programs, there was a concern that police officers would take college courses just to get the degree. In 1979, Goldstein stated, â€Å"The factor that makes the whole movement toward college education for police personnel most vulnerable to attack is the emphasis which has been put on the acquisition of college credentials without sufficient concern for what is to be learned. Given the multitude of colleges and the number of people who attend them, the degree itself reflects little about the values or relevance of the educational experience.†11 Clearly, the need to ensure that a college program is delivering the appropriate academic curriculum is  critical. In the past, an officer attended a local school and it was more than likely regionally accredited. Today, online colleges can market themselves across the United States or even internationally, claiming accreditation from some official sounding group. Accreditation, curriculum, and instructor competence are all of critical importance in a college program. More than a decade ago, researchers articulated considerations that would be relevant as one considers the potential quality of an educational program. The recommendations included:12 †¢ No college credit should be given for police academy and similar training †¢ Technical and professional police subjects should be limited to a maximum of twenty-five percent of any curriculum †¢ A four-year baccalaureate degree should be the minimum educational qualification for entry into police service †¢ No one should be considered qualified to be a faculty member on the basis of experience alone †¢ Police education faculty should be held to the same standards as other college professors (i.e. Ph.D., master’s degree minimum; involvement in research and publication) These issues among others were discussed by a group of criminal justice related experts who were brought together in a nominal group setting to discuss online education and its potential effect on the future of law enforcement. The Nominal Group Panel As part of a California Peace Officer Standards and Training Command College project, a panel of interested professionals was formed to discuss future trends and events that may have an effect on law enforcement online educational programs in the next five years. It consisted of a Chief of Police of a medium sized police department, a professor who teaches online courses for a major public university and at a local community college, a deputy district attorney, a police officer who is a former high school teacher, a police officer who is a member of the executive board for a police officers association, the criminal justice program coordinator for the local community college, the editor of the local weekly newspaper, and a  counselor for a youth diversion program. There was consensus among the panel members that it is important for police officers to have a college education, and to possess the appropriate degree. The panel felt that a college education earned the traditional way (attending classes at a brick and mortar institution) was the best preparation for a person to be a police officer. The discussion included many of the issues published by researchers and criminal justice practitioners since the 1930’s. The panel felt it was critical for police officers to be socialized with diversified groups of people and exposed to differing viewpoints. The requisite skills of tact and diplomacy learned in a physically social environment, effective public speaking, and command presence are attributes that are learned and reinforced in a traditional educational setting. The panel recognized it may be difficult for a police officer to pursue a traditional degree due to family and work obligations. So what is this officer to do? Many of the officers returning to college or entering college for the first time have turned to online college programs. The panel concluded the flexibility of online educational programs was a tremendous opportunity for current police officers due to the demands of their course schedule. They also understood there was a proliferation of programs being marketed to police officers through police websites or law enforcement related magazines. Legitimate accreditation was a key concern about such programs. The panel members expressed that testing-retained knowledge could be problematic since testing is done in the same delivery format as coursework, and all tests were essentially open book. With regard to the value of such programs, panel members believed that a college degree earned through online programs was different than a college degree earned traditionally. The panel believed that criminal justice practitioners were overused in criminal justice programs especially in online programs. Their concern was the overall value of the college degree since true academic professors were not doing the teaching. They felt that for some disciplines, such as engineering, mathematics or history, an online program was sufficient. But when it came to being a police officer, class attendance and contact with other students face-to-face was preferred. The panel agreed, however, that much of what is done in a traditional setting could be done  online, such as submittal of written reports or studies and coursework assignments. The panel also felt that too much academic credit was given for experience in police work through online programs. The panel felt that rather than rely on a purely online program for an officer to obtain a four-year undergraduate degree, a cross or hybrid approach, with a traditional program could bring the desired benefits of both delivery methods. The Educational Hybrid Amy Fanter, a researcher in the field of hybrid education, noted that â€Å"Hybrid instruction, or hybrid courses refer to classes where there is a carefully planned blend of both traditional classroom instruction and online learning activities.†13 According to criminal justice researchers and practitioners (and supported by the expert panel) the most effective collegiate preparation for police officers are settings inclusive of a social environment. They should be exposed to other racial, ethnic, and diverse groups in an arena where ideas are broached, concepts discussed, and conflict is resolved through dialogue, research, and consensus. Many components of any particular course can be done using the online system (such as writing book reports, completing written requirements and posting of thoughts on issues). If a class was required to meet for a certain amount of time every week or every two weeks, or even once a month to be tested on retained knowledge, to be challenged by other students on stances taken on issues, to participate by speaking about issues, and so on, then the socializing of the officer can be effectively satisfied. No matter how effective, a distance learning program not offering this option will impact skills that might only be gained in this type of setting. Using a hybrid approach for coursework would allow for the flexibility of online educational programs and meet the some of the critical benefits of traditional programs. Those that may advocate for pure e-learning should remain mindful of the â€Å"soft skills† necessary for the modern law enforcement officer, and the best opportunities to acquire them. Conclusion The desire for a police officer to have a college education appears settled.  National commissions, criminal justice professional associations, academicians, attorneys, and courts have all expressed this view. The question remains; how does the individual peace officer best do it? Attending the traditional college program at a brick and mortar campus seems to be the preferred way. This method may not be practical for some officers, so the alternative of the hybrid approach should be considered. It blends many of the positives from both traditional and online programs. Certainly, there may be situations where even a hybrid approach is not practical. It seems Vollmer and many others would support an online program to gain at least the concepts and critical thinking skills a collegiate education offers. Progressive police agencies may take the lead to shape their future by entering into a partnership with a local public or private institution to develop a hybrid program to be implemented for their staff. In any case, police management should encourage officers and employees to return to college to earn their four-year degree. The result will be better staff and officers, and a better chance to meet the needs of today and tomorrow. ENDNOTES 1 Bueermann, Jim, â€Å"Redlands, California,† The Police Chief, August 2006, accessed February 1, 2007, available at www.policechiefmagazine.org 2 Bowman, Theron, â€Å"The Chief’s Perspective: Demolishing the Recruitment Myth,† The Police Chief, August 2006, accessed February 1, 2007, available at www.policechiefmagazine.org 3 Travis, Jeremy, â€Å"Education in Law Enforcement: Beyond the College Degree.† An address presented to the Center for Research in Law and Justice, Chicago, February 10, 1995, accessed December 19, 2006, available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/speeches/police.htm 4 Carter, David, Sapp, Allen, and Stephens, Darrel, The State of Police Education: Policy Direction for the 21st Century, (Washington, D.C., 1989) 1 5 Carter, David, Sapp, Allen, and Stephens, Darrel, The State of Police Education: Policy Direction for the 21st Century, (Washington, D.C., 1989) 4 6 Coons, Jeffrey, â€Å"Studies, Case Law, Quotes, Standards and Trends in Support of College Education for Police Officers.† An Information Paper for the Police Association for College Education, March 18, 2004, Accessed August 18, 2007, available at www.police-association.org 7 Carter, David, Sapp, Allen, and Stephens, Darrel, The State of Police Education: Policy Direction for the 21st Century, (Washington, D.C., 1989) 1 8 An institution that may participate in most Title IV federal student financial assistance programs, National Center for Education Statistics, accessed September 9, 2007, available at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/glossary/index.asp?id=465 9 â€Å"Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001.† National Center for Education Statistics, accessed Sept 9, 2007, available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003017.pdf 10 Carter, David, Sapp, Allen, and Stephens, Darrel, The State of Police Education: Policy Direction for the 21st Century, (Washington, D.C., 1989) 10-11 11 Carter, David, Sapp, Allen, and Stephens, Darrel, The State of Police Education: Policy Direction for the 21st Century, (Washington, D.C., 1989) 24 12 Carter, David, Sapp, Allen, and Stephens, Darrel, The State of Police Education: Policy Direction for the 21st Century, (Washington, D.C., 1989) 27 13 Fanter, Amy, â€Å"Hybrid Education: The Future of Instructional Models.,† World Wide Learn, accessed September 9, 2007, available at http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/hybrid-education.html

Who is John F McLennan? :: Essays Papers

Who is John F McLennan? John Ferguson McLennan was born on October 14, 1827. Although his life centered on a legal career he always had the desire to enter the academic world. McLennan studied law in Edinburgh, Scotland. He practiced under the Scottish bar until 1870. However, he was not a successful advocate of this profession because instead of studying and supporting the law he chose to argue over its conventions. This is shown by the fact that in 1868, he became the secretary of the Scottish Society for the amendment of the Law (Rivià ¨re). Primitive Marriage was published in 1865 and according to J.B. Tylor was a type of law book that had â€Å"the natural and immediate effect of losing him half his briefs (Rivià ¨re)." McLennan’s dissatisfaction for his chosen profession prompted him to apply for a professorship at Cambridge. His interest did not stop there and McLennan continued to interacted with those in the science community. His house became an informal meeting place of the academic co mmunity that discussed literary and scientific findings. Interestingly enough McLennan was not apart of the Ethnological Society of London which included notable figures of the time including Sir John Lubbock and E.B. Tylor. The main objective of the society was to inquire â€Å"into the distinguishing characteristics, physical and moral, of the varieties of mankind which inhabit or have inhabited the Earth; and to ascertain the causes of such characteristics (Burrows, 122).† McLennan’s feud with Lewis Henry Morgan became a topic of controversy in the 19th century. They meet in London in 1871 and initially became quite good friends. In fact Morgan knew of McLennan’s desire to enter the academic world and wrote to President of White of Cornell University encouraging him to give McLennan an academic appointment. Their relationship took a turn because of their disagreement over â€Å"the validity of their respective evolutionary frameworks, the nature of relationship terminologies, and the true meaning of exogamy and endogamy (Rivià ¨re).† McLennan’s dispute with Morgan masked the main adversary to his work, Sir Henry Maine. Maine’s Ancient Law promoted McLennan to place his own ideals in an evolutionary framework and at the same time disputed Maine’s patriarchal theory. Although Primitive Marriage is not an apparent attack on Maine’s theory, McLennan’s disagreement appears more strongly in his later works. McLennan used the comparative method as well as the universal belief of human nature to try to answer the question of marriage by capture.

Why Coal Is Not Bad

Coal was mined in this country before it was even a country. The first thirteen states appeared on a United States flag after coal mines appeared on our maps. Coal has helped power America for nearly 300 years and has been an essential part of the U. S economy since the turn of the century. It was the first fossil fuel used extensively by humans, and is still vitally important today, generating 39 percent of the world’s electricity, and 49 percent of U. S. electricity.Coal power, an established electricity source that provides a vast quantity of inexpensive, reliable power has become more important as the world is becoming more advanced. Modern life is unimaginable without electricity. It lights houses, buildings, streets, provides domestic and industrial heat, and powers most equipment used in homes, offices and machinery in factories. As you can tell, coal plays a vital role in electricity generation worldwide. Coal is a quick an easy thing to produce, transport and generate . With coal mines located in almost 70 different countries, it is not a problem for the supply and demand.Also, coal supplies in the United States are far more plentiful than domestic oil or natural gas; they account for 95 percent of the country's fossil fuel reserves and more than 60 percent of the world's fuel reserves. Not only that, but the United States has about 275 billion tons of recoverable coal, which could last us more than 250 years if we continue using coal at the same rate as we use it today. So here is the question. Why would you want to get rid of coal fired power plants that give people jobs, is easy to mine and is plentiful and inexpensive for the alternative which is inconsistent and costly?

Pillsbury Case Marketing

Mike Johnson Pillsbury Case Beth Gallant 1) What are the challenges that Ivan Guillen faces in his role as marketing manager of the RBG business? As marketing manager of the RBG business, Ivan Guillen must propose a solution to repair Pillsbury refrigerated baked goods (RGB)’s business performance. Since the refrigerated-cookie product line consisted of 62% of RBG’s unit sales and over 75% of the company’s profits, Guillen found it appropriate to alter this segment in the market.Proposing this idea to GMCC would require Guillen to consider all the challenges he faces. Guillen will have to discover a strategy to increase household penetration since it has fallen to 24% in the past few years. The lack in market penetration has caused a miniscule growth of only one percent in the past three years. In order for Guillen to increase the penetration percent, he will need to reevaluate the â€Å"Kisses† commercial. The assessment of this advertisement revealed the lack of effectiveness for brand recognition and relevance. Introducing.Also, when reviewing the â€Å"Purchase Drivers In Canada As Compared To The US† it is apparent that consumers are concerned with the quality of the dough, the flavors offered, and the amount of cookies offered. Either Guillen is going to need to draw up a marketing plan that addresses these issues are alter the cookie in some way. Lastly, Guillen will have to conduct marketing research to understand the difference between Canadian and US markets. The â€Å"Kisses† commercial was adopted from the US and slightly changed for the Canadian market.Seeing as it failed to generate the projected annual growth of five to seven percent, there is a clear difference between the Canadian and US advertising markets. 2) What are consumer insights (in general)? What types of business challenges can benefit from consumer insights? How are these insights obtained? Consumer insight is when a marketer researches unid entified/unmet needs in the marketplace or a new/better way to satisfy an existing need. The job of the marketer is to analyze the information and capitalize on the identified need.There are two main types of research, quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research revolves around the measurement and analysis of relationships between variables. Random sampling techniques, like questionnaires and surveys, provide marketers with results that can be generalized to a larger population. Qualitative research, on the other hand, takes on a more understanding and conceptual approach. Through focus groups, marketers can gather an in-depth understanding of consumer behavior.The most common type of research used at GMCC are the focus groups. Focus groups are where a small group of people have a moderated discussion about a marketing-oriented issue. The group then summarizes its opinions and eventually comes to a solution they find fit. Summarizing all of the opinions of the focus groups c an aid in new product development, brand messaging, and promotional campaigns. Another type of marketing research GMCC uses are concept tests. Concept tests are commonly used to improve new product development and develop brand messaging.Concept tests provide an image of the product, pricing information, instructions, and key benefits to a consumer in verbal or visual form. The consumer then quantitatively evaluates the product by stating their degree of purchase intent. Lastly, GMCC also performs creative testing in order to evaluate the effectiveness of ads. When an add is put through the creative test, they are being judged on their purchase intent, relevance, and brand linkage scores. Having a powerful add that influences the consumer can significantly increase brand recognition.This â€Å"Kisses† commercial that Pillsbury had launched in Canada did not meet its expectations due to the lack of creative testing. 3) Given the key learnings from the usage and attitude study on pp 6-7 of the case, what are the corresponding implications for what actions the team should take? (Format this into a chart of key learning, implication, action) Key Learning| Implication| Action| Scratch baking is the dominant method of baking cookies in Canada. In Canada, 56% bake only from scratch. In the US, use of refrigerated dough is the most popular baking method. The refrigerated dough market does not seem to have a strong presence in Canada. It seems as if people are either unaware of refrigerated dough or they just do not prefer it. | Either research how to make refrigerated dough more appealing to Canadian consumers or ignore the Canadian market and focus on the US market (since it has a stronger demand for refrigerated dough). | Top four purchase drivers are the same in both countries. Convenience and taste are at the top of both lists. The quality of the cookie dough is not valued as highly in Canada and kids have more of an influence in driving purchases. Clearly there is a big gap between the quality perception in Canada and the United States. Canadian consumers are implying that they want a higher quality product and a product that is more convenient for children. | Propose a marketing strategy that addresses the quality of the cookie or targets children. Since children have a stronger influence in Canadian markets than US markets, reaching out to them could increase brand recognition and sales. | Both users and lapsed users perceive refrigerated cookie dough as convenient.Lapsed agree that RBG cookies are convenient, but non-users do not rate them as convenient. | Lapsed and current users agree on convenience, leaving marketers to believe this is actually true. Non-users, however, are not receiving this message. Non-users in Canada are not as aware of the product as they should be. | Reaching out to non-users through ads and commercials can increase the convenience recognition for RBG cookies. If non-users considered the cookies convenien t they would be more likely to purchase them. | 4) Why did Guillen and his team conduct the in-home and discovery workshops?To find out what? Conducting a qualitative research was proposed in order to gain a better understanding of consumer perceptions, beliefs, and feelings towards RBG cookies. The usage and attitude study portrayed the differences between Canada and the United States, whereas this study will determine which aspects of the baking experience are most appealing to consumers. The ethnography study RBG conducted, In-home Immersions, sought to gain an in-depth understanding of personal motivations and actions towards a particular product. RBG entered the homes of two lapsed users and wo brand champions while the consumers were baking the good. During the visit, the marketers hoped to develop an understanding of the consumer-brand relationship, what surrounds it, the environment around it, and the bigger-picture influences. For example, RBG found out that when it came to feeding the family, the solutions had to be easy, quick, and pleasing to children. It also showed the sense of happiness that arises when baking occurs. Knowing this information could help propose the idea of implementing comfortable implications in future ads.The discovery workshop was similar to the ethnography study, except the study group consisted of 18-27 consumers working together. This comfortable environment allows consumers to discuss opportunities and criticize issues of the product. 6) What actions would you suggest that Guillen and his team take? a. What should their value proposition be? b. Which consumers should they target? Why? c. What should the brand messaging be? Guillen has numerous tough decisions ahead of him when proposing his new marketing strategy.However, Guillen conducted a multitudinous of studies to provide him some insight on what an appropriate solution would be. In terms of the product itself, there are many alterations that could be made. Children have more of an influence in Canadian markets than in US markets. Providing kid themed offerings could increase brand recognition and demand from children. Simple ideas such as adding famous cartoon characters or sports themes could sway a child to want RBG cookies. Also, adding new flavors/types of cookies could increase the width of customers.Providing healthier options, dietary restrictions (gluten free, low sodium), and new flavors would reach out to more consumers. Expanding new product development would also be benefit to brand recognition. Providing Pillsbury baking tools like cookie cutters, timers, oven mitts, and aprons would cause the experience of baking to be more enjoyable. Another recommendation to Guillen would be to re-new and strengthen relationships with consumers. In doing so, Guillen should stress the nostalgic and experiential aspect.Through the in-home study, it has been concluded that baking introduces a sense of happiness in the kitchen. Having this percepti on instilled in a consumers mind may persuade them to purchase the refrigerated dough for themselves or as a gift. Having a celebrity spokesperson influence consumers can have a positive impact as well. In previous commercials, RBG cookies solely relied on the Pillsbury doughboy. Although he is a very recognizable character, maybe the consumers do not find him as trustworthy as they would a celebrity.The celebrity could stress the easiness, convenience, and â€Å"homemade† feeling RBG cookies provide. In-store display and packaging also has a significant impact on the consumer. Having a brand portrayed in a positive way gives the consumer the feeling that he or she is making the right choice. Research showed that most purchases of refrigerated dough were out of impulse. Sales can simply increase by strategically placing the product to locations where consumers frequently buy on impulse. Increasing the visibility with the doughboy logo would have the consumers more likely thin king about the product.If the cookies are going to be strategically placed and visible, then they are going to need to have attractive packaging. Offering trial packages with three different flavors would also allow consumers to have the opportunity to try out new flavors. Offering different serving sizes and holiday themes also expands the horizon of consumer tastes and preferences. In the short run, investing in social media, advertisement, and a spokesperson is most beneficial action to take. It is a quick opportunity for consumers to be persuaded into purchasing the object.However, in the long run it would be most beneficial to introduce new product flavors and healthy and dietary restrictive options. By renewing and strengthening its relationship with existing and lapsed consumers, Pillsbury can increase household penetration. Changing the perception of the product in the minds of the consumer from food to family activity/gift can influence the non-users to sample the product. Lastly, acknowledging new 21st century dynamics of healthy lifestyles and smaller servings can appeal to new market segments and eventually increase sales.

Michelangelo Buonarroti Biography and Artwork

Michelangelo Buonarroti Biography and Artwork The Basics: Michelangelo Buonarroti was arguably the most famous artist of the High to Late Italian Renaissance, and inarguably one of the greatest artists of all time along with fellow Renaissance men Leonardo DiVinci and Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio). He considered himself a sculptor, primarily, but is equally well known for the paintings he was induced (grudgingly) to create. He was also an architect and an amateur poet. Early Life: Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, in Caprese (near Florence) in Tuscany. He was motherless by the age of six and fought long and hard with his father for permission to apprentice as an artist. At the age of 12, he began studying under Domenico Ghirlandajo, who was the most fashionable painter in Florence at the time. Fashionable, but extremely jealous of Michelangelos emerging talent. Ghirlandajo passed the lad off to be apprenticed to a sculptor named Bertoldo di Giovanni. Here Michelangelo found the work that became his true passion. His sculpture came to the attention of the most powerful family in Florence, the Medici, and he gained their patronage. His Art: Michelangelos output was, quite simply, stunning, in quality, quantity, and scale. His most famous statues include the 18-foot David (1501-1504) and the (1499), which were both completed before he turned 30. His other sculpture pieces included elaborately decorated tombs. He did not consider himself a painter, and (justifiably) complained throughout four straight years of the work, but Michelangelo created one of the greatest masterpieces of all time on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512). Additionally, he painted The Last Judgement (1534-1541) on the altar wall of the same chapel many years later. Both frescoes helped Michelangelo earn the nickname Il Divino or The Divine One. As an old man, he was tapped by the Pope to complete the half-finished St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican. Not all of the plans he drew were utilized but, after his death, architects built the dome still in use today. His poetry was very personal and not as grand as his other works, yet is of great value to those who wish to know Michelangelo. Accounts of his life seem to portray Michelangelo as a prickly-tempered, mistrusting and lonely man, lacking in both interpersonal skills and confidence in his physical appearance. Perhaps that is why he created works of such heartbreaking beauty and heroism that they are still held in awe these many centuries later. Michelangelo died in Rome on February 18, 1564, at the age of 88. Famous Quote: Genius is eternal patience.

What is an Unreliable Narrator Definition and 6 Real Examples

What is an Unreliable Narrator Definition and 6 Real Examples What is an Unreliable Narrator: Definition and Examples In literature, an unreliable narrator is a character who tells a story with a lack of credibility. There are different types of unreliable narrators (more on that later), and the presence of one can be revealed to readers in varying ways - sometimes immediately, sometimes gradually, and sometimes later in the story when a plot twist leaves us wondering if we’ve maybe been a little too trusting.While the term â€Å"unreliable narrator† was first coined by literary critic Wayne C. Booth in his 1961 book, The Rhetoric of Fiction, it’s a literary device that writers have been putting to good use for much longer than the past 80 years. For example, "The Tell-Tale Heart" published by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843 utilizes this storytelling tool, as does Wuthering Heights, published in 1847.But wait, is any narrator really reliable?This discussion can lead us down a proverbial rabbit hole. In a sense, no, there aren’t any 100% completely reliable narrators. The  "Rashomon Effect† tells us that our subjective perceptions prohibit us from ever having a totally clear memory of past events. If each person subjectively remembers something that happened, how do we know who is right? "Indeed, many writers have used the Rashomon Effect to tell stories from multiple first-person perspectives - leaving readers to determine whose record is most believable." (Check out As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner for an example).For the purpose of this article, however, we will refer to narrators who are purposefully unreliable for a specific narrative function. How to write an unreliable narrator that has us on our toes and reading between the lines. Literary function of an unreliable narratorFiction that makes us question our own perceptions can be powerful. An unreliable narrator can create a lot of grey areas and blur the lines of reality, allowing us to come to our own conclusions.Fallible storytellers can also create tension by keeping readers on their toes - wondering if there’s more under the surface, and reading between the lines to decipher what that is. Unreliable  narrators can make for intriguing, complex characters: depending on the narrator’s motivation for clouding the truth, readers may also feel more compelled to keep reading to figure out why the narrator is hiding things.Finally, all unreliable narrators are first-person: they live in the world of the story and will have an inherent bias or perhaps even an agenda. While you may find an unreliable narrator who's written in the second-person or third-person point of view, this is generally rare.PRO-TIP: If you'd like to see the different point of views in action, check out this post that has 50+ point of view examples.Types of unreliable narratorsJust like trying to classify every type of character would be an endless pursuit, so is trying to list every type of unreliable narrator. That said, we've divided these questionable raconteurs into three general types to better understand how they work as a literary device.1) Deliberately Unreliable: Narrators who are aware of their deceptionThis type of narrator is intentionally lying to the reader because, well, they can. They have your attention, the point of view is theirs, and they’ll choose what to do with it, regardless of any â€Å"responsibility† they might have to the reader. (The film adaptation of Room, image: Universal Pictures)Forrest Gump by Winston Groom Forrest is another example of a narrator who’s not deliberately unreliable in order to pull the wool over the readers’ eyes or to â€Å"save face.† From the outset, we are aware that Forrest doesn’t comprehend things like the â€Å"average† person does, and we’re aware that we might not be able to take everything he says at face value. This is confirmed when Forrest begins detailing his life, which is peppered with stories about major events from history that he was apparently intimately involved in. We can’t be certain that he’s not telling the truth, but it would be quite the life if he is. Six examples of unreliable narrators and how to write your own fallible storyteller. An unreliable narrator breaks the conventional relationship of trust between a reader and a storyteller. However, the key is that you don’t want to shatter that trust entirely, because you’re likely to lose the reader. Ensure your unreliable narrator has a clear purpose for being unreliable, employ just enough mist around the narrator’s accounts to put question marks in our minds, give us the underlying sense that there’s more to the story, and you’ll be able to foster a connection between the reader and narrator that has the pages of your book flipping.Who are some of your favorite unreliable narrators from literature? Have you ever tried writing one yourself? Leave any thoughts or questions in the comments below!

Analysis of the TV Shows Friends and How I Met Your Mother Essay

Analysis of the TV Shows Friends and How I Met Your Mother - Essay Example As far as friendships go this group has it very tightly knit. They live the life in New York City and never seem to want for money even though they are rarely seen working. They seem to spend most of their time just hanging out together and sipping coffee, having the heart to heart talks or just getting into one sort of hijinks after another. Just as in the real world, these group of friends somehow end up dating one another and eventually, one or two they have highly successful hookups. However, that is not to say that the show takes relationships lightly because it is, after all, a comedy show. It was the way that they handled the seriousness of these relationships in a light manner that set this show apart from the others in their time slot. That is the characteristic that made the show and its characters special. Friends was a ground breaking show during its era. It had all the common characters from everyday life that the viewers could identify with. The men were comprised of the â€Å"looking for love† kind, the career women, the players, and the spaced out friends who are always good to hang out with when you need a good laugh. Everybody knew somebody who was exactly like Monica, Chandler, Rachel, or Joey. The show helped the term â€Å"extended family† and take it a whole new level. Friends showed everyone that family need not be confined solely to the relations based upon blood and direct DNA. They are the people that we connect with on a level that we would not even normally connect on with our own family.

Employee Relations - Voluntarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employee Relations - Voluntarism - Essay Example In the United Kingdom, the basic areas of focus for the state have been on information dispersion and providing financial support and incentives for management action. (University of Bath, 2008) Now in the wake of numerous debates regarding the efficacy of the concept of indirect employee involvement and participation, voluntarism has not been promoted in certain cases in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, we see in some cases that the new trade union models are set to encourage voluntary cooperation. This essay is going to critically evaluate both scenarios with specific case studies. Nonunion employee representation (NER) and its independency from the governing authority typify the employee relations structure in the United Kingdom. (Kaufman et al, 2000:410) With the growth and development of service sectors in the country during the last 25 years or so, traditional industries became less operative, resulting in a steady decline in British union membership from 13 million in the early 1980s to 8 million in the late 1990s. Consequently, the need to introduce human relations and new wings of work organization was felt acutely as employers wanted to include dynamic business initiatives that would benefit both their interests as well as employee welfare. Looking into the context that preceded the provisions made in the 1999 Employee Relations Bill, one can clearly get an idea of the changing scenario in the late 1990s arising from the Trade Union Congress’ recommendation of a broad spectrum of individual and corporate rights at work into lawmaking. The concep t of voluntarism is not essentially circumscribed to state or legal interference in the union and management dealings, but should be expanded to take into consideration the relative freedom of employees and employers to improve the interrelationship. (Sisson, 1999) In relation with the thesis question, one might look into the fact